The Sea Cadets. Derwenthaugh Regional Boating Station

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1 The Sea Cadets Derwenthaugh Regional Boating Station (Charity Number ) Annual report for the year ending 31 st March 2015 The Derwenthaugh Boat Station is a self- standing charity that operates as a member of the Sea Cadet Corps by affiliation to the Marine Society and Sea Cadets. It is governed by Sea Cadet Regulations. Derwenthaugh seeks to help young people to reach their potential by developing self-confidence, self-discipline and teamwork - all valuable life skills. It does this through the medium of training in boating and related activities. Derwenthaugh aims to be a centre of excellence for training young people in boating and related skills. In pursuit of this it is a Recognised Training Establishment of the RYA and affiliated to British Rowing. Management and staff. Derwenthaugh is entirely run by two groups of volunteers, the Management Team and the Training Team. All adult volunteers have DBS clearance. The Management Team acts as Trustees for the charity. Members are elected at the Annual General Meeting and for this year comprise: Mr Chris Matthews (Secretary), Mr Malcolm Stronach CA (Treasurer), Cllr William Shepherd RD, Mr Peter Brown RIBA, Mr Ron Woodman. Lt Cdr Alfie Simpson MBE Principal) of the Boat Station is a member ex officio The Training Team is responsible for teaching standards and qualification and the day to day running. It comprises Lt Cdr Simpson (Principal), Lt Cdr Dave Finlay (Chief Instructor), Mrs Gwynne Burn, Petty Officer James Dougherty. A trainee staff member is held on secondment

2 from a local Unit. All members of staff are appointed to the Sea Cadet Corps and hold appropriate qualifications in boating and first aid. Overview Derwenthaugh has had a tremendous 12 months with the new residential centre being used for the first full year. The building was completed in November 2013 and is a fantastic asset for us and has proven to be very popular with all. There has been an increase in the number of Sea Cadets attending for training from under 200 to over 400 and a number of community and veterans groups have used the facilities. The outcomes see below- have exceeded all expectations. Boats and equipment have also been updated through the year. The official opening of the residential centre was held on December 3 rd 2014 and we had the honour of His Royal Highness the Duke of York conducting the ceremonies. Most of our sponsors, funders and supporters attended this auspicious event which helped us communicate our future aspirations for our facility. Plans are in hand to extend and upgrade the facilities to allow for more users and a wider programme of training. Outcomes/Performance 189 certificates were issued to participants after the successful completion of their courses boating hours were achieved on the water and 1569 was the total number of times the beds were slept in. Residential courses. Between the 1 st April 2014 and the 31 st March 2015 the accommodation was used for 30 residential weekends with an average of 26 participants of our capacity of 28 well ahead of expectation. This represents involvement by over 400 young people and 300 adults (including adult courses). Support for sea cadet training from MoD sources has transferred to Districts and this has resulted in a reduction in the number of week courses run. Sea Cadets In addition to the local Units (Ashington, Wallsend, Whitley Bay, Gateshead, Newburn, Newcastle East and Seaham) we accommodated Units from Teesside, Airdrie, Dunbar and Coventry. Without the new residential centre these Units would not have been able to visit our region and gain the life skills and boating qualifications that we endeavour to provide. In the meantime we still have 150 cadets and leaders from the local Units coming to Derwenthaugh every evening and on weekend days during the season for their Unit boating. Community Groups As well as Sea Cadets, we are actively promoting our community engagement. We have provided First Aid and Power Boat Training for the local rowing clubs and also given safety support to their regattas. We have developed links

3 with the Girl Guides who are now regular users and this has proven to be very successful. Veterans The Armed Forces Community Outreach Service has used our facilities every Monday. Our relationship has enabled them to set up the Gateshead Community Rowing at Derwenthaugh as part of their Row2Recovery programme. We have no doubt that the GRC will be a long term partner. Facilities Boats Two new Wanderer sailing dinghies were acquired to replace 2 of our aging fleet of Bosun dinghies. A replacement programme for the RiB power boats is in hand. Equipment when the weather is too inclement to sail or row we now have 2 new indoor rowing machines. They not only help newcomers to rowing but provide entertainment and exercise through indoor evening racing. New spray suits were obtained in time for the boating season and this made for more comfortable and drier conditions particularly for the young people attending our courses. It really helps them to enjoy themselves even more and want to come back. The MoD provides us with safety equipment buoyancy aids etc. Last winter we ran a number of residential weekends over the winter to help us learn how best to use the residence. This resulted in a backlog to our boat maintenance programme and so this winter there have been fewer courses to allow us to bring the boats up to best condition for the 2015 season. Finance The annual cost of running Derwenthaugh has risen from just over 21,000 to just under 32,000 as a result of the increase costs of running the residential unit. There has been a corresponding increase in revenue from course fees. This makes Derwenthaugh a very cost-effective provider and is mainly due to there being no salaries to pay.

4 It has been a long term policy of Derwenthaugh to offer high quality boating to young people who would normally be excluded from its benefits. Most of the sea cadet users come from low income families and we aim to keep course fees down for them. The cost of running weekend courses is higher than the course fees so that regular grants are needed to support the programme. We are grateful to the Sir James Knott Trust for its support through an annual grant but we need to develop more regular streams of income. In terms of capital, Derwenthaugh has enjoyed valuable support from a number of sources The Community Covenant Grant Scheme together with two charitable trusts provided the 60,000 funding for the pontoon extension. Grants have also been received from Sage Trust and the Dulverton Trust through the Community Foundation and from the Hedley Foundation for the provision of new boats and sailing suits. The Derwenthaugh team is engaged in a major fund-raising effort to raise 260,000 for the refurbishment of the original Boat Station building. Future Development The completion of the residential unit has confirmed a strong demand for the training and facilities provide by Derwenthaugh. Pontoon extension the large number of attendees has led to overcrowding on the pontoons and the new extension and a low level slipway should be installed in July This will relieve the conditions and give better access to the boats for those with special needs. The original Boat station building is proving inadequate to meet the new demands and is need of modernisation. The Trustees have agreed a plan for the refurbishment of this building which will include an increase in training areas as well as an upgrade to toilets, changing and storage. The new building will allow more winter training courses across a wider range of subjects. Boats will continue to be upgraded with new two new RiBs used for power boat training and rescue work. The Sea Cadet Corps has introduced a new design of sailing dinghy which will come into service over the next year or so. Acknowledgements This has been a busy time for all and we have to really thank the volunteers who with tremendous enthusiasm have enabled all this activity to take place and so many young people to be trained. We also owe a huge debt of gratitude to the many people and organisations who have provided funds over the past 12 months in some cases over man years. We cannot thank enough all those who very generously funded the building of the new residential centre and those who have contributed to the newer projects.

5 In conclusion Derwenthaugh Boat Station is well positioned for the future. Our future is bright and the word is spreading. 2015/2016 looks even more promising with further improvements to provide a fabulous facility to an even wider community. We also have a good Facebook link and a website which is continuously updated; Alfie Simpson Principal September 8 th 2015